funding

The Science Media Centre’s funding model is designed to reflect its position as an independent press office that is not linked to any specific institution or institutional agenda. As such the Centre seeks donations from a wide variety of organisations with an interest in the accurate reporting of science in the media. We have over 100 funders including scientific bodies, science-based companies, science publishers, universities, patient research charities, media organisations, research funders and government. See below for the list.

The Centre is independent from its funders who do not gain influence over the SMC’s work in return for their financial support. To protect the Centre from any undue influence the SMC caps contributions from any one institution at 5% of prior year income. The SMC’s Trustees and Advisory Group have agreed on two exceptions to the 5% upper limit: the Wellcome Trust and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI’s contribution is over the 5% cap as this represents the consolidated amounts from several Research Councils which is now paid via the umbrella organisation set up in 2019.

A central principle of the SMC’s funding model is the clear separation between funding and editorial decisions on our content. All decisions about which media stories the Centre responds to, which new scientific findings we seek third party comments on, and which press briefings we run, are made entirely in line with our charitable objectives around improving the public understanding of science by making it easier for the news media to access the best scientific expertise. Our decisions on strategy and focus are made by the senior management team with regular oversight from our Board of Trustees and our Advisory Group. It is made clear to every organisation funding the Centre that they get no influence over our editorial decisions in return for a donation.

A copy of our annual report and accounts (2022-23) can be found here.

The total income for the Science Media Centre for 2022-23 was £752,419. The upper limit for donations for 2023-24 is £35,000.

If you would like to support the SMC please contact us on:

t: +44 (0)20 7611 8300

Funders April 2022-March 2023

£2,000 and under

Personal donations from one individual

£2,001 – £4,999

£5,000 – £9,999

£10,000 – £19,999

£20,000 – £30,000

Over £30,000

Previous Funders

AAAS and the magazine Science
Abbott Laboratories
Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
Airwave Solutions
Alcohol Research UK
Allied Domecq
Alzheimer’s Society
ARM Holdings Plc
Association for Clinical Biochemistry & Laboratory Medicine
Association for Science Education
Astellas
Baxter
Bayer Plc
BBC Worldwide
Beeson Gregory
Biogen Ltd
Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
BNP Paribas Foundation
Boeing
Boots UK Ltd
Bristows LLP – pro bono support
British Computer Society (BCS)
British Ecological Society
British Embassy in Washington
British Energy Plc
British Geological Survey (BGS)
British In Vitro Diagnostics Association
British Land Plc
British Neuroscience Association
British Psychological Society (BPS)
British Retail Consortium
British Transplantation Society Council
Cadbury Plc
Cardiff University
Celgene
Charlie Waller Memorial Trust
Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
Chilled Food Association (CFA)
Chiron Vaccines
CNAP Artemisia Research Project
Co-operative Group (CWS) Limited
Coalition for Medical Progress (CMP)
Coca-Cola
Colgate – Palmolive
Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the European Union (CIAA)
Conoco (UK) Ltd
Conoco-Phillips
Copus
Corteva Agriscience
CropLife International
Daily Express
Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford
Diamond Light Source
Dixons Group Plc
DMG Media, including Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, Metro and MailOnline
Du Pont (UK) Ltd
Durham University
Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)
EDF Energy
Eli Lilly & Company
Emergent Biosolutions Inc
EnergySolutions
Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Engineering UK
Envigo
Environment Agency
ESHRE
EUK Consulting
European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP)
European Science Foundation (ESF)
ExxonMobil
Full Fact – from a Google grant
GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare
Government Office for Science (GO-S)
Horizon Nuclear Power
Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA)
Human Tissue Authority (HTA)
Illumina
Independent Climate Change Email Review
Innovate UK
InSPIre the Mind blog
Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST)
Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Techology (IMarEST)
Institute of Mental Health
Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM)
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN)
Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI)
JH Ritblat Charitable Trust
John Wiley & Sons
Johnson and Johnson
Johnson and Johnson Ltd
Keele University
Kraft Foods Inc
L’Oreal UK
Lancaster University
Lancaster University
Lever Faberge
Life Technologies
Marks & Spencer (M&S)
Marshall Bio
Marshall UK
Maudsley Charity
McPin Foundation
Medical Research Council
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Mental Health Foundation
Mental Health Research Network
Mental Health Research Network Cymru
Mental Health Research UK (MHRUK)
Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD)
Merlin Biosciences
Mobile Manufacturers Forum
Mobile Operators Association (MOA)
Mobile UK
Monsanto UK Ltd
Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association
MQ: Transforming Mental Health
MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge
National Grid
National Nuclear Laboratory
National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
New Scientist
News International Ltd
Northern Foods
Novartis
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
Open University
Orsted UK Ltd
Oxitec Ltd
Parkinson’s Disease Society
Pfizer Limited
Philips UK
Pirbright Institute
Powderject
Procter & Gamble UK
Proctor & Gamble (P&G)
QinetiQ
Queen’s University Belfast
Quintessa
Rathbones
RDS
Re-Solv
Regenesys
Rethink
Rotary Club of Milton Keynes Grand Union
Rothamsted Research
Royal Astronomical Society (RAS)
Royal College of Pathologists
Royal College of Physicians
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP)
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Royal Society of Chemistry
Royal Society of Medicine
SAGE
Sanofi Pasteur MSD
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Science Council
Science Museum
Scottish Mental Health Research Network
Shell UK Limited
Siemens Plc
Simon Best
Smith & Nephew Plc
Society for Endocrinology
Society for General Microbiology (SGM)
Society for Radiological Protection
Society for Radiological Protection (SRP)
Springer
Syngenta
Tate & Lyle Plc
Taylor and Francis
Tesco Limited
The Dow Chemical Company
The Drayson Foundation
The Marmot Review
The Naji Foundation
The Nuclear Institute
The Posen Foundation
The PR Works Ltd
The Times
Trinity Mirror Plc
UCB
UCB Pharma Ltd
UCL
UCL Institute of Health Equity
UK Cleaning Products Industry Association (UKPCI)
UK Dementia Research Institute
UK Energy Research Centre
Unilever UK
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
University of Bristol
University of Glasgow
University of Leicester
University of Sheffield
University of Strathclyde
University of Teesside
University of Warwick
Urenco
Vodafone Group
Weizmann UK
Wi-Fi Alliance
World Health Organisation (WHO)
Wyeth

funding

Funders April 2022-March 2023

Previous Funders

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